Shane Love MLA

The Minister for Commerce has refused to provide meaningful support to Western Australian families impacted by the collapse of Bella Modular, and failed to explain how it would close loopholes that leave customers of modular builders exposed.

Leader of The Nationals WA Shane Love MLA, today raised concerns on behalf of impacted Bella Modular customers in Parliament, many of whom have lost their life savings, questioning the lack of home indemnity insurance for modular builds.

“While the Minister for Housing is spruiking modular housing on social media as the future of building, this Government is failing to ensure basic protections are in place for families when things go wrong,” Mr Love said.

“Following the collapse of Bella Modular, I have heard heartbreaking stories from single parents, cancer survivors and families who engaged this builder in good faith, only to be left facing devastating financial losses.

“For some families, the losses run into hundreds of thousands of dollars, leaving them with enormous debts and no home to show for it. Reports indicate almost 60 WA families have been caught up in the collapse, with over $4 million owed to customers, contractors and suppliers.

“Yet, when I asked the Minister for Commerce what this Government was going to do to protect these families and prevent it happening again, he had no answers.”

Mr Love condemned the Minister’s response to affected Bella Modular customers, after he pointed to customers’ responsibility to understand the terms of their contracts.

“Blaming families for not reading the fine print is an extraordinary response from a Commerce Minister whose job is to ensure consumers are properly protected.

“The Minister should be explaining why the regulatory system failed these families, not lecturing them about their contracts.”

Mr Love said the Minister had also failed to explain why he would not close a loophole that allows some modular builders to operate without builders’ registration.

“It is difficult to understand why a family building a home should receive less protection simply because that home is constructed off-site.

“Modular builders still build homes. They still have to comply with building codes and construction standards. The Government should not allow a loophole in the registration system to leave families carrying all the risk.

“If modular housing really is the future of home building in WA, then the Government must make sure consumer protection is part of that future.”

The Nationals WA are saddened by the passing of former Parliamentary Leader and lifelong champion of the Wheatbelt, Hon Max Trenorden.

Max Trenorden served the people of the Avon electorate in the Legislative Assembly from 1986 to 2008, before representing the Agricultural Region in the Legislative Council from 2009 to 2013. He also served as Leader of the Parliamentary National Party from 2001 to 2005 and was a passionate and tireless advocate for regional Western Australia throughout his long Parliamentary career.

Nationals WA President Paul Gillett paid tribute to Mr Trenorden, in front of National Party members at the Party’s State Conference today.

“Max was a champion for his community, for regional WA and for our Party,” Mr Gillet said.

“He was a formidable parliamentarian who dedicated more than a quarter of a century to representing the people of the Wheatbelt and regional WA.

“His contribution to the National Party and the communities he represented will be remembered for many years to come.”

Nationals WA Leader Shane Love MLA said Mr Trenorden was one of the most respected parliamentarians to emerge from regional WA.

“Max was born and raised in the Wheatbelt, and throughout his political career he never lost sight of the people and communities that sent him to Parliament,” Mr Love said.

“He served as Leader of the Parliamentary National Party from 2001 to 2005 and, following the formation of the Coalition with the Liberal Party in 2004, became Deputy Leader of the Coalition and Shadow Minister for Energy and Science. Max understood that strong regional communities are fundamental to the strength of our State, and he spent his life fighting for them.”

Member for Central Wheatbelt, Lachlan Hunter MLA, said Mr Trenorden had left an enduring legacy in the Wheatbelt and within the National Party.

“Max was a Wyalkatchem farmer who dedicated almost 30 years of his life to serving his community in Parliament,” Mr Hunter said.

“He entered Parliament in 1986, defeated a sitting Labor Minister, and went on to build a remarkable record of service to the Avon Valley and the wider Wheatbelt.

“Our thoughts are with Max’s family, friends, and all those who had the privilege of knowing and working alongside him”

The Nationals WA, in government, will invest $120 million in a new Regional Families Guarantee to give regional children the best possible start to life and make it easier for young families to build their future outside Perth.

Leader Shane Love MLA unveiled the policy today at The Nationals WA State Conference, announcing the initiative would be the first major policy delivered under a restored Royalties for Regions scheme.

The Regional Families Guarantee will target six critical areas impacting regional families: midwifery, transport and accommodation, primary healthcare, allied health, childcare, and school bus services.

“The Regional Families Guarantee is our commitment to giving every regional child the best possible start in life, making the first 1,000 days safer, better supported, and more affordable, from pregnancy through to their first day of school,” Mr Love said.

“A postcode should never determine whether you can start a family, see a doctor, find childcare, or access the healthcare your family needs, but for too many regional families, that is the reality.”

Mr Love said the policy had been developed after hearing directly from young families struggling to access essential services, including families in Carnarvon who have been forced to travel hundreds of kilometres to give birth since local maternity services were closed by the Labor Government in 2022.

“For a young family in Perth, accessing maternity care can be as simple as driving to their local hospital,” Mr Love said.

“But for families in Carnarvon and other regional communities, starting a family can mean planning to give birth hundreds of kilometres from home.

“It means finding money for fuel and accommodation, taking time away from work, and being separated from family and friends at one of the most important moments of their lives.

“And the challenges don’t stop after the baby arrives. Families need access to a local GP, allied health services when their child needs them, childcare that allows parents to work, and reliable school bus services as their children grow,” he said.

Mr Love said the Regional Families Guarantee would help make regional communities more attractive places for young families to live, work, and raise their children.

“We want families to know that they can choose to build their future in regional WA with confidence, and that their children can get the same start in life as children anywhere else in Australia.”

Regional Families Guarantee

The $120 million Regional Families Guarantee will be funded through Royalties for Regions and will comprise six key initiatives.

• Regional Midwifery Package: Funding recruitment and retention initiatives, professional
  development and housing support, alongside a full HECS rebate for midwives who commit to
  living and working in regional WA.
• Regional Family Accommodation Package: Providing modern, fit-for-purpose
  accommodation near major regional hospitals for expectant mothers, families and support
  people who need to travel for maternity care, alongside reforms to the Patient Assistant Travel
  Scheme to better support regional families.
• Regional Primary Healthcare Package: Providing funding to help regional and rural local
  governments maintain primary healthcare services, alongside regional GP attraction
  packages, and greater support for nurses to upskills as nurse practitioners.
• Regional Allied Health Workforce Strategy: Attracting more allied health professionals to
  live and work in regional WA through HECS rebates, establishing an Allied Health Flying Squad
  to bring specialist services into regional and remote communities, and creating dedicated
  allied health hubs in communities and schools.
• Regional Childcare Package: Targeting childcare shortages in regional communities through
  funding for new centres, infrastructure grants to help
• School Bus Services: Ending the uncertainty around orange school bus contracts to give
  families and operators certainty.

Shadow Minister for Tourism Scott Leary MLA says the Premier and Tourism Minister has failed to stand up for Western Australia’s tourism industry after he refused to say whether he had acted over changes threatening the supply of backpacker workers to regional WA.

In State Parliament today, Mr Leary asked the Premier what action he had taken with his Federal Labor colleagues following reports Working Holiday Maker visa applications had been paused for 24 countries and delayed for a further 19.

Mr Leary said the question was simple – had the Premier acted to protect WA tourism businesses that rely on Working Holiday Makers to fill critical workforce shortages?

“The Premier had every opportunity today to tell Western Australians what he has done to stand up for our tourism industry – but he refused to answer,” Mr Leary said.

“That should be deeply concerning for tourism and hospitality operators across regional WA who are already struggling to find enough workers.

“Working Holiday Makers are not just tourists. They are a critical part of the workforce in regional communities across the state, working in our hotels, restaurants, cafes and tourism businesses.

“If fewer backpackers can get to Western Australia, it will be regional businesses that feel the impact first.”

The latest concerns follow the Federal Labor Government’s decision to remove priority visa processing for regional employers, adding further pressure to businesses already struggling with persistent workforce shortages.

Leader of The Nationals WA Shane Love MLA said the State Government could not claim tourism as a priority while remaining silent when Federal decisions threatened the workforce underpinning the industry.

“The Premier is also the Tourism Minister. He should be on the phone to Canberra making it crystal clear that Western Australia cannot afford decisions that make it harder for regional tourism businesses to find workers,” Mr Leary said.

“Regional tourism operators deserve to know whether their Tourism Minister is actually fighting for them.”